New State Department Office Aims to Engage Religious Communities

As the Obama Administration weighs its options in Syria and throughout the Middle East, it finds itself navigating uncertain territory between ethnic and religious groups.
A new initiative at the State Department aims to engage religious constituents throughout the world, and promote human rights by educating religious groups. Whether and how the office can actually mitigate conflict with the world’s most difficult and violent religious actors remains to be seen. 
But Shaun Casey, director of the State Department’s new Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives, says he’s ready to engage with groups across the religious spectrum. Casey joins The Takeaway to explain the Office’s role in international affairs.